Valencia Navius: Omega's Shadow
by le'ppo'ek
Summary: Valencia Navius was a human, raised by turians. As one of the smartest subterfuges in the Hierarchy Command, she is thrust into Omega's depths, with only a rough description of an ex-military turian she is supposed to find. But what will happen when she is haunted by her past, unable to cope with what she's seen? Will she be pulled out of the shadows, or left to rot there, alone?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my new-found friends! This fanfiction is NOT a Femshep-Garrus romance.****I used the characters because they relate the most to my two original characters Valencia and Caius. I decided that this should be put up because I've been meaning to for awhile. If just one person reviews it, I will continue on and figure shit out.**

**Now onto the summary...**

**This is a story about a human who grew up in Palaven after she was 'rescued' in the First Contact War. It takes place a little before the geth attack on Eden prime, and will eventually go through the events of Mass Effect 3. This is a slowmance. Not a lot of it will be based on romance, even though it starts out a little fluffy. This is the journey of a human who finds her place in the turian hierarchy.**

**I don't own this universe, only my own characters.**

**See ya later,**

**Leppoek**

**Prologue**

_There were explosions everywhere. The humans fled back to their huts, and the turians would win Shanxi. It wouldn't be long until this stupid war was over. And it was all because of one relay. The turian hears a woman's cry, and he slithers into a house, seeing long black hair huddling over something. He shouts at the woman to turn around, and when she does she yelps, tears streaming down her eyes. A pistol shakes in her hand as she puts one hand out as to protect what's behind her. He tells her to drop the gun, but she can't understand his gravelly language. Again the turian commands her to drop it, but this only strengthens her resolve. Her hand moves up to hold the gun steady, aiming for his chest._

_All he can see in her eyes now is fierce protection. And then he knows this fight is over._

_Two simultaneous shots go off, one fizzling on the turian's shields, the other, hitting the woman's chest. She falls to the ground, crimson liquid pouring out of the wound. Her eyes are blank now, but the turian overlooks this, hearing a new sound, a baby's wail._

_He walks over to the crib behind the body, and when he stares down, he sees a mirror of the woman he just killed. The same black hair and pale complexion toss under the small blanket. When the child opens its eyes, all the turian sees is orbs of cyan, the same color as his clan markings. When he realizes that he just made an orphan of the child, he is beside himself, knowing that if it was his child, he would protect it with the same audacity as the mother lying on the ground._

_In that singular moment, he picks up the baby and, cradling it awkwardly, heads back to his ship._

**Chapter One**

"Lieutenant Valencia Naevius, with the justice you displayed at the events of Carthaan against the batarians, you are hereby promoted to Commander, and as such will now take orders from General Corinthus. Do you accept this promotion from the Hierarchy?"

"I do." I stared straight ahead, accepting the promotion with dignity, knowing countless turians were awaiting a grin of arrogance. They weren't getting the luxury of that from me today.

"Then this hearing is-"

"Admiral, I object to this promotion." Called it. Caius was going to owe me 50 credits next time I saw him. Saren Arterius, infamous spectre and outspoken hater of humans, was speaking out against my promotion. Probably because I _was _a human. The turians in the room all murmured at his objection, even though some of them most likely agreed with him. Because mostly everyone in the room was expecting this to happen, Admiral Radke continued on, with no emotion in his voice.

"On what grounds, spectre?"

"On the grounds that she is human, and the Spirits know she has no right to be a citizen in this hierarchy." I almost turned around to face the barefaced, but a three fingered hand on my arm stopped me. It made me aware of my tense muscles, and I quickly relaxed, cursing myself for the slip of control.

"Commander, would you like to speak for yourself?" I smiled then, knowing my case was already won, because Radke was using my new title.

"I would, in fact, like to speak for myself." I nodded to the turian holding my arm, my father letting go, because he knew I was in control. "Spectre, let me tell you that I have _every_ right to be in the hierarchy, as shown by my clan markings, name, and uprising. I _am_ a citizen by witness to the Spirits themselves, even if I am an alien. Lastly, let me ask you a question _spectre_; why would you speak out against my promotion _now, _when you could have easily done so before, when I was promoted to lieutenant? Is it because you feel this is a bigger deal, or do you just want to make a scene?"

"You don't deserve it." He hissed. "Every other turian on that mission did just as much as you and they only get a small honor? Why should you get this promotion if everyone else is just as qualified?" Alright, now he was just trying to win a pissing contest. One pissing contest that Radke wasn't going to allow.

"Saren, you may hate humans but Valencia has shown more skill and leadership than almost any other soldier currently enrolled in the turian hierarchy. It is because of her leadership that she is being promoted. Maybe if you weren't so blinded by her alien features, you would see that. She will be promoted to commander, and this hearing _is _adjourned. If you want to complain about it, go to the Spirits be damned council, where your allegiance lies. Now get out of my sight." As an angry Saren stormed off, the crowd broke into idle chatter. I received some congratulatory remarks, but was mostly ignored by the populace. Thank the Spirits for that; I absolutely _hated_ politicians, and their voiced opinions on everything. Thankfully, my father felt this way too, and it was only a few minutes until he asked me if we could leave. I humbly obliged.

"Valencia, call your mother and have her and Nero meet us at that restaurant you like. I think we're overdue for a celebration. Invite Caius too. He'll be glad to hear that you're safe, and that you're a commander now." I sent a quick message out to both of them. In less than 20 minutes we were at Esca, one of the finest restaurants on Palaven. It served both levo and dextro food, accommodating any asari or humans as well as turians that ate there. As we waited for a table, Nero and Mom came in, followed by Caius.

"You sly varren," Nero said as he hugged me. "Now you're a higher rank than me. But don't think I'm going to take orders from you; I _am _still older. But, way to go Len." His mandibles flared in an upwards grin, and then my mother hugged me. By now our table was ready, so my parents and brother followed the asari hostess, while I hung back with Caius. I smirked his way, and he put his fist out in a very human way for a fist bump. As I hit his hand he said, "Against all odds."

"What, I'm commander?" I retorted.

"No, you defeated the slavers at Cathraan. I was worried about you, human."

"Oh, please, Caius; we both know that a few slavers can't get the best of me. And-hey, I'm not that short or squishy as a human."

"Valencia, you may be tall, but you're definitely still squishy." Caius said as he poked me. I yelped, scowling at him in annoyance. He laughed, throwing his head back as he did.

"Keep laughing, I swear I'll pull rank on you." He just flared his mandibles as we sat in the private room, isolated from the noise. Coming back here brought old memories. I worked at Esca when I was about thirteen, 2 years before the age turians were required to go to boot camp. The owner of Esca, a kind old turian, thought it would be perfect if a human worked in the kitchen, since I wouldn't be able to eat any of it anyway. I wasn't surprised when they wouldn't let me near the levo-based food because, well, who _would _let an alien near something they could potentially steal? Then again, why would they let me near food I could poison? The logic was backwards, but I never had any thought about stealing food, I mean, I was raised by turians, I had a ton of honor engraved in my mind. I was on desserts, since I had a creative mind, and was pretty good at the job until boot camp.

Now, the old turian chef came in himself, saying, "Valen! Congratulations, my dear!" I thanked him and we ordered quickly, my father and I starving from the three hour long ceremony. About halfway through our meal, my mother asked where I was going to be stationed. "I hope it's somewhere close to home. Or some mission that's important to the Hierarchy. But, to be honest, I'm happy as long as I get to serve as the turian race." Just that moment, my omni-tool pinged. I had to read the message twice before understanding the words.

[BEGIN MESSAGE 9/19/78 1933 GT]

_To Commander Valencia Naevius:_

_Valen, I regret to inform you that I must place you on a mission in the Terminus Systems. I had no say in this decision. Spectre Arterius has his allies in the hierarchy and they want you as far away from Palaven as possible. Come to my office tomorrow at 1000 hours, and we will discuss the details of this mission._

_Radke._

[END MESSAGE]

Insulting was one of the few polite words that I could use to describe this action. The Terminus systems were very dangerous for any military types. Whatever I was going to do there was going to be hard. But I wasn't worried about that. Saren; what was his motive? _He wants something from you._ But what could he possibly want? Did he just want me away from home or was he going to hurt me or try to kill me? But him hurting me wasn't what scared me. It was my family I was scared for. Would he try to hurt them while I was gone? I just didn't understand why the Spectre all of a sudden had this interest in me. I would definitely have to keep an eye out for any information.

I was thinking so much that I didn't notice Caius' talon resting on my arm. I looked up and smiled, saying, "It was just someone congratulating me." I stared into Caius' eyes and automatically he took the hint. _We'll talk later._ He backed me up, saying "Why Valen, you're practically famous."

After we finished dinner, my parents and Nero hailed an aircar and said to me, "Go catch up with Caius, You two have a lot to talk about." _Yes, we did; but not in_ that_ way._ "Don't stay out too late."

"We won't." As soon as my family was gone, Caius crossed his arms. "Spill."

"Am I really that transparent?" I started walking towards the park near my apartment and, Caius reading my mind again, fell in step next to me.

"Well, if you say going rigid for 2 minutes after reading a message isn't easy to read, then no you weren't 'transparent.'" I chuckled humorlessly. Leave it to Caius to lighten the mood.

Finally I bent my head and mumbled, "It was my mission."

"And?"

"Terminus systems."

"When?" He was always so quick to gather as much data as he could, then analyze it before coming to conclusions. Never judging, always neutral.

"Don't know; didn't even get details with who or what Spirits-forsaken planet either. Radke is giving them to me in person."

"Must be important,"

"That or he's going to tell me to watch my back." Caius looked at me out of the corner of his emerald eyes. The "sideways" look as I liked to call it. It was a look that symbolized questioning, understanding, or concerned thoughts that were going through his mind. That of course depended on the context of the situation. In this particular situation, I think he meant all three. I started digging my nails into my hands, a habit I formed that I do when I feel nervous. "I'm just hoping that this isn't some suicide mission."

"Even if death itself tried coming after you, I doubt you would come back with more than a scratch." This made me smile.

"Glad to know." We ended up sitting on a bench, my hand in his claw. We weren't bondmates, but cared deeply for each other. We'd known each other since we were little. That time seemed so long ago though. My first real friend; Caius and I knew each other so well. He kept the turians who had bullied me away, and ever since I showed him that I could waggle my eyebrows, we'd been friends. On and off the battlefield we could support each other and could act, knowing the other would be right behind. To be honest, when he couldn't come with me to Cathraan, I was scared. I was uneasy knowing no one I trusted would cover my six. Thankfully, in the end it turned out well. I didn't think I'd be out on my own so soon.

Our relationship was odd. Yeah we would walk into hell with each other, but I had never liked him in _that_ way. Yes, I considered him attractive, but I always knew he could do better than me. He should get the chance to settle down in the future, and could never do that with a human, right? So we never went too far. We lived with each other, but in separate rooms, and acted like best friends. Sometimes I would hug him, or our foreheads would touch, but it was out of respect, not love.

So when I leaned my head against his shoulder, we didn't think anything of it. Just sitting here, in my closet friend's presence, was enough to get me to relax and forget about the meeting tomorrow. After just sitting for awhile we got up and headed up to our apartment. "Wanna watch a vid?" I asked.

"Sure, how about 'The Incident?'"

"I actually found a human movie that seemed pretty good. Its old, but it's like our society, in a way. You ever heard of '300?'" Caius shrugged, so I searched for the file on my omni-tool and uploaded it to the aero-gel screen. I walked over to the kitchen, getting out turian brandy and asari wine. I gave the dextro drink to Caius and settled on the other side of the sofa, putting my feet in his lap. Taking a swig from my drink I asked him, "How are your romantic endeavors, Cai?" He threw his head back and laughed.

"I only have my sight on one girl." I knew where this conversation was headed. It always ended the same. But because I hadn't heard in awhile and felt nostalgic, I indulged myself.

"Oh, really? I hope it's not some asari whore that can stop traffic."

"No, she's better than that. She can take out a guy a mile away."

"Some _Citadel_ consort then?"

"Nope, she's from darker parts of the galaxy."

"Caius! You're falling to a new low. Don't go for an Omega callgirl."

"My girl is the one and only-" By now his eyes were dreaming away.

"Javelin sniper rifle." I finished for him, rolling my eyes as I did so. "Caius you're attractive enough. Go out there and get some turian girl that's pretty. If you don't try, you'll never get a girl that deserves you." I looked at the screen, watching blood splatter as an arm was chopped off.

"Well, there is this one person." I looked at him sideways.

"Go on."

"But I don't think she likes me." That was a joke. Every turian woman fell swooning at the sight of Caius. Military type, nice fringe, attractive waist, what girl wouldn't want that?

"Who is she?"

"I'm not telling! You'll go talk to her and ruin my chances." I rolled my eyes again.

"Maybe I could give you some advice. What type of person is she?"

"Well, she's still in military." Ooh, this might be hard. Military girls were always hard to read, I should know, because I was one of them. They were bitchy. They usually like mods as gifts, unless you were like me and had almost all black market mods at the end of your reach. Then it was hard. Something that symbolized friendship was usually the next best option. Something that shows you'll have the persons back no matter what.

"Get her a sniper mod."

"We'll see. She's not the gifting type." She sounded like me, but nicer.

"Get her something that symbolizes friendship."

"She doesn't like anything though. Whatever, I'll figure something out." I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that night and went back to sipping my wine and watching 300.

The next morning I woke up with a crick in my neck. I realized I was sleeping on a hulking mass that moved up and down with heavy breaths. Then I looked down at my hand. They were interlocked with Caius' claws.

What the…?

I tried to recall the events of last night. I could remember everything up until taking a second glass of wine. Whatever, I could always peek at the security feeds. After extricating myself from his arms, trying to not awaken him, I made my way to the shower, feeling grimy from being in dress blues all night. As the steam enveloped my body, I thought about what could've happened last night. We were both drunk, but what happened after the movie? Did we do anything? Or were we just exhausted and fell asleep on each other?

As I toweled my body off, I checked the time on my omni-tool; 0920 hours. I had just enough time to check the security feeds and head out to Radke's office. I went to my room, noticing it looked just like it did 6 months ago, albeit a little dusty. I dressed in soldier civvies and brushed my long black hair back into a bun. Looking into a mirror, I evaluated the changes from before I left and after. My form was skinnier, from rationing the unimo-bars we had. I was also tanner, my pale skin bronzed under the less harsh sun of Carthaan. Every day on Palaven my omnitool distributed medication to my body in order to protect my frail skin from the radiation. Without it, I would burn after about 3 minutes of being outside. As a result from the UV protection, my skin was pale. I touched the cyan tattoos on my face, proud of my heritage and what I had become.

I turned around, looking at the rest of my room. Something small and glittering caught my eye on the nightstand. It was a small box, about the size of my hand, and had a note on it that read two words, "Welcome Home." From the elegance of the handwriting, I deciphered it was from Caius and therefore safe to pick up. I lifted the lid off, noticing the amount of dust that was settled on top. Seeing what was inside made me gasp. There was a sphere of Palaven salt carved with my initials. I gingerly grasped it, wondering how much Caius would have to save in order to buy it. As soon as I touched it, I felt the hum of element zero through my fingertips. Since I was a biotic, the energy around me swirled blue. I wasn't the best in the galaxy and rarely used biotics, relying more on my aim of a rifle rather than the cheap use of element zero, but there were a few times where I knew I would've been dead without it. Palaven salt could improve biotics, depending on how much element zero it was imbued with.

Palaven salt was so rare that miners had to start creating them synthetically. The synthetics weren't perfect, and didn't have the special properties that real ones had. When they are carved, gloves are used at all times. When first touched by skin, the metal absorbs some of the biotic energy that the user has. Whatever amount is put in can simulate what the person is feeling at any time. This fact made them a symbol of sacrifice, them usually being bought in pairs and trading them. Now they are popular gifts for turian couples and newlyweds. It also was a sign of upmost friendship, showing that you would bare your emotions to another person.

I knew in my heart that this was a matching set. Since Caius was my closet and most respected friend I would be glad to trade the sphere with him. The salt crystal glowed dark blue, almost pulsing, and it confused me. But I disregarded the fact and continued my daily routine. Now it was time for the security feeds. Everything was as it seemed until we left the couch and left the apartment. I skipped to the part where we came back, and hour later. We were tripping over each other, giggling uncontrollably. So basically, I had gotten drunk, and so had Caius.

Very drunk.

We staggered over to the couch, me falling on top of him. My face in the video and in the present turned red. But instead of leaving I stayed there, and actually cuddled closer. My jaw dropped. I deleted the feed, not wanting to embarrass Caius with this. I peeked out the door, and Caius regulated breathing soothed me. He wasn't awake, good. I put water on the stove, knowing he would want apha, the turian variant of coffee, when he woke up. While I poured tea for myself, I checked the time again, deciding I should leave to find out my dreaded mission debriefing.

I arrived a bit early, but the asari secretary said I could walk right in. Damn asari; if there was one race I hated more than any other, it was them. They think they're so high and mighty because they found the citadel first. I think they're just psychic tramps. There were some asari that didn't stick true to this name, but there were enough prostitutes that the prejudice stuck. On the elevator ride up, I stared down at the younger turians, here for boot camp. They were watching an older turian how to reload a Phaeston. I smiled, thinking back to my boot camp.

Being a human, I had to get gene mods in order to not wash out the first week. Even with my advanced reflexes, strength, and eyesight-not to mention the L5 implants-it was difficult to keep up. My unrefined biotics didn't help either. In hand to hand combat training, I would almost always resort to biotic throws and slams. But I learned better, and with Radke as a mentor, I figured how to get my impulses under control. Even after that, it was hard. I was looked on with suspicion, not shown any sympathy. Not that I wanted pity anyway. I showed everyone that a human could stand with the best military in the galaxy. The first time I beat someone in a sparring match, the room got silent. We all just stood there, the other turian and I breathing heavily. Instead of acting humane and letting out a bloodlust filled roar, I left the room silently, not even a smirk on my face. They knew what I had done.

And they would accept it.

After that incident, they started to appreciate me. I was no longer the frail human. I was an equal. They didn't shove me out of the way. I got helpful tips from some of the older turians. I was, in all actuality, a turian. That was only the beginning. They would eventually trust me, an alien, with their lives.

Back in the elevator, it stopped on another floor. A hardened turian walked in, shooting a glare my way as he did so. I didn't care. I had been glared at before, and his was on the level of a domestic varren. I went the rest of the way up in silence, staring into blank space. When I was about to get off at Radke's office, he stood in my way, staring down his nose into my eyes. I accepted the challenge, crossing my arms and projecting biotic energy off my skin. This caught him off guard and I lifted him up slowly and set him back down out of my way. He growled as the elevator door closed.

Well, that was odd. Just another thing to add to my list of things to ask Radke. I knocked on his door before I went in. "Valen, come in." He always knew who was outside. "Let's not waste any time. Sit down and I'll give you your mission brief." He started to explain before I was in the chair. "You are going to Omega, to retrieve confidential information from an ex-turian military. She knows we are coming for her, and she will comply, but she is almost untraceable. So we're sending in you, the expert on finding someone. It's dangerous for ex-military on Omega."

"That's not why you're worried." It was a fact.

"The hierarchy doesn't want to make it obvious that we're heading there. So you are going with a mercenary group of all turians. And you're not taking the Nephthys." He was silent for the next few minutes, and it was a good idea. Radke knew that when I was furious, I got quiet. And I didn't like any noise until I simmered down. I wasn't taking my own ship. I wasn't with a crew that I knew and kept safe. I was going to be alone. How the hell was I supposed to get this mission done?

"Isn't a human with a bunch of turians kind of odd?"

"Quite the contrary; many mercenary groups have one or two humans and a bunch of aliens."

"Is there anything else I should know?" My lips were tight and my eyes narrowed, as I calculated how I could get this done. I should be having a month of leave to prepare. Well, that was generous. I could live with 2 weeks leave.

"Your ship will leave tomorrow at-"

"THIS IS VARREN SHIT! I'VE HAD ONE NIGHT HOME, ONE FUCKING NIGHT." Biotic energy was swirling around my shoulders. I couldn't hold my anger any longer. Yeah I could deal with a new group of people to work with. I mean, I was mad but I could even deal with the fact that I wasn't taking my own ship. But my leave? The hierarchy wasn't even going to give me a week to relax? Saren had more influence than I thought. "One night." I whispered, my anger retreating into despair. "This is…What am I going to tell Caius?" I put my face in my hands.

"You don't think I know that? Saren would have had you leave tonight if I wasn't there." His anger matched mine, the only difference being that he controlled his voice to sound like venom. I rubbed my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, my arms shaking. I wouldn't break though. Too much of my life was spent in being the weak one, and this was just stupid. I just…I thought I would have more time with my family. After a few deep breaths I was under control again as I calculated how I could get this mission done. After a long moment of silence, I got out of the chair and went to the door, feeling more resigned than anything.

"I know you tried. And I'm thankful for that. While I'm gone, promise me you'll send me messages about what's happening here." I turned my head for another second before leaving. "And whoever this Saren is, make sure he doesn't hurt Caius, or anyone in my family. I entrust their lives to you Admiral Radke. Keep them safe. And thank you, for giving me another night's rest before I leave."

"Anything for you, Valen." Without another word I opened the door and left the military base, not noticing the turian from before smirk at me with benign contempt.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to post! I appreciate you sticking with me and hope you continue! I'll try to update more frequently, (I'm thinking every friday?) but for now enjoy :)

-Leppoek

PS- I REALLY APPRECIATE REVIEWS. If you have anything to say don't be afraid to tell me! I like fixing things!

2

Breaking the news to Caius had been tough. I had walked back to the apartment slowly, knowing that I had to soak up as much Palaven sun as possible so that I could think about it when I was on a cold ship. But eventually I realized it was more important to spend time with Caius, so I found my way out of the park and up to my room. For a few moments I just stood outside, not wanting to tell Caius that I would leave tomorrow. My body was tense, and I had to relax to tell him this. But as I pulled out my hair to fix it, the door opened and Caius stood in the doorway. I let my black hair fall down, frozen for a second before I dropped my arms to my sides.

He instantly knew something was wrong. We stood there for a good five minutes, him staring down at me, arms crossed, and me at the floor, hands shoved in my pockets. Finally he asked, "Are you going to tell me what's up, or are we going to stand here awkwardly while I block you from entering? You realize I can hear your heartbeat from in there, right?" He gestured behind him before turning back to face me. I looked up then, and knowing I wouldn't see those bright eyes for another three or four months made me break. I muttered one word.

"Tomorrow."

His playful demeanor dropped then, and I could see him tense. If I didn't know him so well, I would have thought he was going to rip someone's head off. He knew how hurt I would be, and felt the same as I did. Suddenly he embraced me, and I just let the tears fall from my eyes. It was rare, but after almost dying on Carthaan, not even psychologically assessed afterwards, and then immediately being thrown into another suicide mission, I could have a few minutes behind closed doors of being vulnerable. I was exhausted. And having to watch my back for the next weeks before Omega was going to take even more of a toll. And once I got to Omega? Forget it. Anyone in the Hierarchy is condemned and hunted. So in those few seconds, I let myself break down.

I hadn't realized, but Caius had pulled me inside the apartment, blocking me from the rest of the hall's view, just in case someone had decided to stroll by. My sobs were quiet, more like shaky breaths with streams coming from my eyes. I leaned into Caius more, my head resting in the crook of his neck while he stroked my hair. This alien that could squish me like a bug in less than a second, who was a monster to the rest of my biological species, was the best friend I could ask for.

We stood for a few more minutes, waiting for my breathing to become regular again. Before I pulled away, I smiled up at him sadly and said, "Thanks Cai."

He smiled back down. "What'dya think I'm here for, serving drinks?" He let me go and went to get some food. Then he asked, "Do you know exactly what you're doing?"

"Enough of it to get it done; but how to get it done? That's a whole different matter. It could take awhile too." I stood at the counter watching him eat with my hand on my chin.

"Do you have to stare? It's kind of weird. Are you allowed to tell me what you're supposed to do? I shrugged, partially because Radke never said I couldn't tell Caius, but he didn't say I could tell him either. Oh who am I kidding? I end up telling the turian everything anyway.

"Tracking down someone who doesn't want to be found. And yes I have to stare because I'm bored."

"Hmm, could be hard. But you know what you're doing. Being a cross biotic-sniper comes in handy. Aren't you happy our race doesn't divide us into classes and go from there? We just serve wherever we're handy, and do whatever we can to win." It was a good aspect about our military. Everyone had to go through basic training, but beyond that, we could use whatever tactics to win as long as our superiors allowed it. Following orders was all we cared about.

"Whatever works." I walked over to the cabinet to get some food myself when I remembered the gift he got me. "So, I'm guessing that you got that sphere that's in my pocket for me, right? And you planned on giving me yours and me giving you mine?" I wasn't even sure that I had understood what I had just said, but Caius got the gist of it. He nodded and left to go get his. In his absence, I messaged my family, telling them to meet me at the military spaceport tomorrow morning. They would understand what it would mean, and I just hoped they would be okay when I left.

Caius came back, dangling a chunk of rock that pulsed with dark energy. I took mine out of my shirt pocket, and we compared them next to each other. While mine was more refined, his was almost jagged, more a block of salt, not a sphere. I liked it though. "They look like they belong with each other." I said, staring down at them.

"Well they should be, since they only belong to the best partners in crime in the galaxy." I smirked, and Caius unclasped the chain to his, spinning me around and lifting it over my head. After he clasped it again, I looked down and held it in the palm of my hand. It was calm, reflecting his personality perfectly. Mine was barely contained chaos, and I was sure Caius could feel it as he slipped the chain over his fringe. "So, what do you want to do for the rest of shore leave?"

I paused as I took a long gulp of water, and then decided on something recreational. "Caius, how's your sharpshooting?"

I narrowly missed a bullet as I rolled into cover. The holographic enemies were shooting sporadically, but they were no match for Caius and me. We shot, ducked down into cover, and reloaded in perfect sync. Occasionally I would warp enemies and then follow through with a throw. After the wave ended, Caius muttered, "You know, we should have a talk about what you think is fun. I seriously am questioning your sanity right now."

"Like you don't like a little Armax Arena once in awhile," I paused, looking at our score so far. "Only 600 more points and we make leaderboards. Think we can do it?" He scoffed at my question, hastily changing the thermal clip for his Phaeston. I grinned, knowing that this last wave would be when we did our best. The timer reset, and with it the alarm went off, signaling the beginning of the round. As we fought our way back to the center of the arena, our score spiked to 10th place. Everything was fine going just as planned, until the boss battle.

Time slowed down for me as the holo emerged from the ground. In my mind I thought it was just a mech, but that wasn't what I saw. It looked smarter, like it had a mind of its own. The single ocular stared at me with what looked like a bloodthirsty glare. It had three fingered "hands" and wires going up and down its arms. It was one of those creatures on Carthaan that had almost wiped out my platoon. As I stood there, confused and dumbfounded, it shot me. Dodging last second wasn't the smartest idea, but as my shields fizzled down, I realized that this wasn't a holo. Usually the rounds that the holos had would spark on the shield, not fizzle down to nothing. It was a normal safety precaution, using stun rounds, nothing deadly.

But these…two hits and you would need a medic. I heard a voice as I came out of my stupor. "Val, you okay?" I lifted my head for a split second to assess where Caius was. And he was halfway across the field, which was just lovely. The…thing separated us from each other, having me realize we could use that to our advantage.

"Caius, get down! This isn't a holo!"

"What?" He had a confused look on his face, and I resided to using my commander voice.

"JUST SHOOT THE DAMN THING AND DON'T GET HIT!" I screamed. My answer was the sound from his gun, breaking down the enemy's shields while its back was turned. We started to confuse the… mech(?), it turning around and focusing on the gun fire. But then it noticed what was happening and let out a weird whirl from its…mouth? It turned back towards me and didn't stop through Caius' gunfire. I cursed under my breath, switching to my rifle. I waited until it was right in front of me so I could get a clear shot of its ocular. It would be risky, but if I succeeded it would be helpless.

As it stepped in front of my cover, I swung the rifle around, looking for the bright ocular, and shot three times, blinding it the first time, disintegrating the armor the second, and destroying its main computer the third. It let out what sounded like a bloodcurdling scream, or the equivalent of whatever it was and fell over. I stood up slowly, unsure if the wave had ended. Thankfully the screen faded and the crowd roared with approval of our fight.

I lifted my helmet off, going over to Caius as the battlefield faded into a flat ground. As we turned to leave, we heard a scream. I whipped back around, throwing my helmet on the ground and lifting my rifle up. The thing we had just shot was getting back up, even though it was blinded. I reloaded my clip, reaping a shot in the joint that connected its shoulder and arm. Caius unloaded another into its leg and we finished off with dual shots to the chest.

It fell once more, and Caius cautiously walked over, prodding its smoking remains with the tip of his gun. "What is this?" He stared at it some more, trying to analyze its parts.

"They were on Carthaan," I replied tersely. His eyes widened, meeting my gaze. "Apparently, someone wants me dead. I have a feeling that it's a certain turian spectre by the name of Saren."

He chuckled humorlessly before stating, "It's a geth, Valen."

"A what?" I wasn't sure I had heard him right. It sounded like he had said they were the creatures who turned on the quarians after being built by them. Basically, it was a bloodthirsty mech with a mind of its own.

"Geth." I registered what he had said this time, unsure whether to believe it or not.

"But, that's impossible. They haven't been seen since the end of the war with the quarians…" I trailed off, dumbfounded with this discovery.

"Maybe Saren is working with them? We should find Radke. Take pictures and then burn the remains." I nodded, using my omni-tool to take shots from various angles. Then I used a fire program to disintegrate the body into nothingness.

After arriving in Radke's office for the second time that day, we explained what had happened. It was just a normal Armax arena fight until the geth showed up. I blamed Saren but Radke was quick to deny this. "He needs to be investigated, and this incident just proves that he's out to get me." I crossed my arms, ready to defend my statement.

"Valen, there are many people who want you dead. It might not be Saren that's after you. I'm not putting off this mission because you are paranoid that he might come after you." I knew he was right, but I didn't want to accept it.

I tried reasoning with him. "But it's almost a known fact he's working with the geth. That commander on Eden Prime figured it out too. I refuse to leave this place until I know he won't hurt me or my family!" I slammed my fists on his desk, trying to show my frustration in this. At this point I was worried about my family as well. Human sympathizers weren't popular on Palaven, and if Saren was involved in this attack, my parents and brother would be put at risk.

"VALENCIA!" I was taken aback by his sudden yell. Radke almost never used my full name, albeit the times where he really wanted my attention. "Would you just stop for a minute? Take a second and think about what you're saying! You are so concerned with your blinded paranoia that you are denying your duty to the Hierarchy. I know you are worried, and, spirits be damned, I know you are angry, but you need to focus on your mission. Do I make myself clear, commander?" I knew I had lost this battle. All I could do was submit and trust that Radke would keep my family safe.

I bowed my head and muttered, "Yes, sir."

Radke gathered up some papers and went to the door. "Is there anything else I can do for you Valen?" My mind fluttered to the incident that had happened with the turian in the elevator. But perhaps it wasn't the best time to bring it up, considering where my paranoia was leading me.

"No, Admiral." He smiled and nodded his head, taking his leave. I sighed, turning to Caius, who had been silent through the whole quarrel. "Caius what's happening to me?" I rubbed my eyes and let out a huff of frustration

"Do you want to feel better about yourself, or do you want the truth?" He looked at me sideways and put up his hand before continuing, "Wait. I can do both." A pause, as he sighed, "Valen, you are paranoid," I shot him a glare before he added on, "but I understand why. You've seen what the geth are capable of, and are worried that they might hurt the ones you love. It isn't helping that Saren doesn't like you either. Not to mention the whole Hierarchy believes you were fighting only the batarians…" He trailed off, trying to gauge if he was getting to me.

"Maybe I am paranoid," _Or maybe you're right._ Ignoring the little voice in my head, I smiled, and continued to say, "But better safe than sorry right?" With the rest of the day to kill, we left the military office

The spaceport was busy as always, groups of many races trying to find their ship. It was a controlled chaos, a system that, to outsiders, would be a maze. The hiss of hydraulics and air locks along with the shouts of turians directing others filled my ears. Sometimes, I would come down here, observing others, analyzing them and making conclusions about their personalities. It was a game both Caius and I enjoyed, and what better place to play then in the middle of a hub for all races. It was the perfect place to get lost, or to stay lost. To a subterfuge such as myself, it was the perfect place to stay undercover.

Dressed in casual civvies, Caius and I made our way to the dock where turian mercenaries were loading the ship, a standard cruiser with beat up armor and the symbol of the Ark Mercs; a black triangle with three crimson arcs protruding from its sides. The turians themselves were hardened war veterans with cold, unmerciful hearts. I had heard rumors they had killed an entire Blue Suns base with less than 10 men wounded to show for it. From the way they glared, I guessed they weren't a fan of the military, or at least humans. I didn't blame them. What mercenary pack would want the military up in their operations? They probably smuggled illegal weapons, by the looks of it. It was a shame that the Hierarchy had to put up with this crap in order to get the mission done. It just goes to show how far they've played into Saren's hands.

My mother and father were waiting outside the air lock. It was a pity they had to send me off on this "crucial" mission. _If it weren't for Saren, you wouldn't have to deal with this, again._ Ignoring that voice, again, I hurried over, knowing my goodbyes would be short enough all ready. "Valencia, we just want you to know, that we are so proud of you." My mother pulled me into a hug, and I could feel tears start to burn around the edges of my eyes. I couldn't cry. Not now.

"Mom…I'll be okay. Just watch yourselves while I'm gone." She gave me a final squeeze before drawing herself back.

"Oh, that bare-faced scum will have to try a lot harder if he thinks he's going to take me down." The subharmonics in her voice were cracking, and I knew she was trying her hardest not to let those watery eyes overflow. My father rested a talon on my shoulder, squeezing it while meeting my gaze.

"Always watch your back Valencia, and don't trust this scum for a second." I nodded and hugged him quickly as the air locks began to hiss open, signaling it was almost time for me to go.

Before I could say a word, Caius had drawn me up in his arms. We could've stood there for hours and it wouldn't be enough time to show how worried we were for each other. But before he let go, I whispered, "Take care of them and don't let Saren touch them." He gave the slightest nod, acknowledging my words before letting go.

Before I knew it, the airlock hissed closed behind me, and I made my way to the bridge to find whoever was in charge of the ship. Everyone's eyes were daggers on my back, but I paid no attention. It's not like I haven't gotten glared at before. And frankly, it kept me on my toes, reminding me that I could trust none of these bare-faced mercenaries.

I found a turian that seemed to be above the rest. On his right shoulder stood authority, and his left carried respect. Barking out orders to everyone, I was pretty sure I had found my guy. "Sir, Commander Valencia Navius, reporting in¾"

"I'm not the one you should be speaking to, human." His yellow eyes never looked up from the data pad he held. Scratching his chin with his claw, he seemed more interested in the manifest than speaking to me. He analyzed whatever he was reading again before looking up to see that I was still standing there. "What are you doing? Go up to Tradire's room and out of my sight." I nodded and trekked up to see this "Tradire." I prayed to the spirits that he would be more approving of the turian I just ran into, but as my luck was going, I imagined the spirits laughing on me.

When the door hissed open to his room, I stared into the same cold eyes as those on the elevator when I went to get this mission. The one who got in my way and challenged me;

This turian…Tradire…he would change me.


End file.
